Saturday, November 29, 2003
Work can be fun!
Unfortunately, this morning rated fairly low on the fun meter. There was ONE fairly depressing moving sale. I picked up a book, a cookie jar with no lid but a semi-familiar maker's mark on the bottom, and a box set of a tarot card deck and explanatory book. Because the cookie jar was icy cold and heavy, I sat these three things in a little pile beside the seller, who said that was fine. But when I came back after scanning the rest of the items, my tarot set was gone. The other couple had picked it out of my stack and the STUPID woman just let them! Arrgh!
That was TOTALLY against all yard sale ettiquette! Plus the jar is Pfaltzgraff, but not an especially desired pattern, especially without the lid. So I really felt I had been lured out of my cozy bed on false pretenses!
But I was actually going to tell you about the fun part. Sometimes you run across neat stuff that is so entertaining, writing the description is like a little party. Right now my favorite things are the 1948 guide to Boston tourism, the bound Physical Culture magazines from 1900, the Hobbit Breast Shells, the 1922 Kansas Anti-Horse Thief Association rule book , and (saving the best for last) the 1966 Tampax info booklet .
That was TOTALLY against all yard sale ettiquette! Plus the jar is Pfaltzgraff, but not an especially desired pattern, especially without the lid. So I really felt I had been lured out of my cozy bed on false pretenses!
But I was actually going to tell you about the fun part. Sometimes you run across neat stuff that is so entertaining, writing the description is like a little party. Right now my favorite things are the 1948 guide to Boston tourism, the bound Physical Culture magazines from 1900, the Hobbit Breast Shells, the 1922 Kansas Anti-Horse Thief Association rule book , and (saving the best for last) the 1966 Tampax info booklet .
Friday, November 28, 2003
My mutant power of Finding
(This is me avoiding work I ought to be doing, as usual. I need to wrap up 9 packages to mail out, 2 of which are going to Japan, which means extra care and fussing. Also my printer is buried again after yesterday's sort-a-thon. Hence my procrastination.)
One of the cool things about selling rare things online is that you sometimes make new friends you wouldn't otherwise have met EVER. Fozzie is a Muppets fan from Belgium who bought a rare tape from me, then a few more of my things, then things I tracked down and bought for him. Along the way we chatted about our favorite Muppets, the sadness of losing Jim Henson and John Denver so young, families, holidays....
So this week Fozzie wrote, asking if I had ever seen a specific Rowlf doll with a sort of pouch inside. (I think these were intended to be what we called pajama pillows when I was a kid.) I had not yet gotten around to doing a search for that specifically. I DO run a set of searches every other day, for things I know can be bought at bargain rates on eBay and sold for more elsewhere, and while I was doing that, BING! Up pops THREE of the type of doll he wants!
This sort of thing happens to me ALL the TIME. I know it's partly because I'm always out there Looking, partly because I have a fairly good card-file type memory. But the element that is pure luck and just happening to be in the right place at the right time with the right info...I can't figure what causes that. Just that I have it.
It was the first thing I officially wrote about in my highly erratically pubbed newsletter, The Neon Nurse's Neighborhood News. Click
HERE to share the eeriness.
And if you are earnestly in search of something, let me know. Maybe I can help. :)
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Oooh, I'm going to have to be pretty good!
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Squished
OK, got the mammogram done, and the only negative thing about the experience was that Prowers Medical Center claims I CAN'T have had one since 1997, because that's the only one in their records. An excuse SOME might fall for, who hadn't worked there themselves! *hmmpph!*
On the way back home a miracle occurred and I remembered I'd been thinking I should go in for a trim, since my bangs had grown out into my eye region again, plus also I want to try out my eggplant henna for the holidays. I got the new trainee, but my hair actually looks GOOD--this never happens! But it turned out my memory miracle was only a partial one; I'd left my checkbook at home.
Being as how this is a small town barbershop, they of course do not take credit cards. But the good side of the small town thing is that she said, "No problem, just drop it by sometime." It's nice to be known, and trusted.
I've seen this several places now, but I got my destructive force quiz from my friend Adam Ek:
On the way back home a miracle occurred and I remembered I'd been thinking I should go in for a trim, since my bangs had grown out into my eye region again, plus also I want to try out my eggplant henna for the holidays. I got the new trainee, but my hair actually looks GOOD--this never happens! But it turned out my memory miracle was only a partial one; I'd left my checkbook at home.
Being as how this is a small town barbershop, they of course do not take credit cards. But the good side of the small town thing is that she said, "No problem, just drop it by sometime." It's nice to be known, and trusted.
I've seen this several places now, but I got my destructive force quiz from my friend Adam Ek:
What Natural Disaster are you? Take the quiz!
Monday, November 24, 2003
Counting down to the holiday!
Greetings from cool Colorado, where at 9am the temperature has risen to a balmy 14 degrees....
Thursday's turkey is thawing in the fridge even as I type, and we are looking forward to a cozy, just us three, family holiday which will include a great deal of the rearranging of the astonishing mountains of inventory which I failed to get done while I was sick, and then (we hope) a certain amount of Christmas decoration.
Caro and I have agreed to take Thanksgiving Day off from our diet, even though I am still a couple pounds over where I had gotten down to, from when I was sick and sucking on all those hard candies per doctor's orders. Alas, sugar free does not equal 0 cals/carbs.
As a way of guiding us to not be TOO immoderate on Thursday,
HERE is a hilarious link to a page sharing Weight Watchers recipes cards from 1974. The recipes look truly dreadful, but you could easily laugh off a few pounds reading the commentary!
P. S. My arms are very sore today from yesterday's weight-lifting binge of 8 or 9 roaster pans full of ice chunks and water from the freezer. Just thought I'd complain.
Thursday's turkey is thawing in the fridge even as I type, and we are looking forward to a cozy, just us three, family holiday which will include a great deal of the rearranging of the astonishing mountains of inventory which I failed to get done while I was sick, and then (we hope) a certain amount of Christmas decoration.
Caro and I have agreed to take Thanksgiving Day off from our diet, even though I am still a couple pounds over where I had gotten down to, from when I was sick and sucking on all those hard candies per doctor's orders. Alas, sugar free does not equal 0 cals/carbs.
As a way of guiding us to not be TOO immoderate on Thursday,
HERE is a hilarious link to a page sharing Weight Watchers recipes cards from 1974. The recipes look truly dreadful, but you could easily laugh off a few pounds reading the commentary!
P. S. My arms are very sore today from yesterday's weight-lifting binge of 8 or 9 roaster pans full of ice chunks and water from the freezer. Just thought I'd complain.
Sunday, November 23, 2003
Brrrr!
We had an influx of snow and real serious cold this weekend. And since Caro had expressed a desire to purchase not one but TWO of the turkeys on sale so very cheaply in honor of the upcoming holiday, I decided to defrost the freezer.
We bought this on the understanding that it was a Frost-free model, but someone forgot to tell the freezer. Although I suppose you could technically say it was FROST free. Just not great whacking huge chunks of built-up ice the size of cocker spaniels free....
Because friends don't let friends get bored, I'll skip to the end--it's done and the food is back in and sorted, with the good stuff rattling around apprehensively in the echoingly empty upper shelves. The bottom shelf is about half full of freezer burned yucky stuff that is destined to be cooked up into pet food supplement.
Two good points. I didn't get frostbite, and the small pile of formerly wet photos and misc paper which I'd put in there in hopes of someday repairing the flood damage DOES seem to be mostly salvageable. When I finally get the scanner going again, I'll probably show you a few of these relics from times long ago.
We bought this on the understanding that it was a Frost-free model, but someone forgot to tell the freezer. Although I suppose you could technically say it was FROST free. Just not great whacking huge chunks of built-up ice the size of cocker spaniels free....
Because friends don't let friends get bored, I'll skip to the end--it's done and the food is back in and sorted, with the good stuff rattling around apprehensively in the echoingly empty upper shelves. The bottom shelf is about half full of freezer burned yucky stuff that is destined to be cooked up into pet food supplement.
Two good points. I didn't get frostbite, and the small pile of formerly wet photos and misc paper which I'd put in there in hopes of someday repairing the flood damage DOES seem to be mostly salvageable. When I finally get the scanner going again, I'll probably show you a few of these relics from times long ago.
Saturday, November 22, 2003
Eye Candy
Took Mike to the movies tonight to see Brother Bear. Caro opted to stay home and enjoy "pieces of quiet" (yes, more MikeSpeak), so I told her, no prob, that makes it your turn when "Cat In the Hat" comes around. I think she mentally called me a Very Bad Word, but I'd turned my telepathy way down anticipating that possibility, so NYAH!
Anyway, I actually thought it wasn't too bad. I liked the people's faces a lot, and the general scenery was gorgeous. It's a very standard Disney-by-number storyline, but with bits that rise above, such as Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas reprising their Bob and Doug MacKensie routine as a pair of goofily bickering moose brothers.
I wouldn't be all hot to watch it over and over, but I liked it better than Finding Nemo. Mike liked it too, except for the sad parts. But I'm a little worried. When asked what he liked best, his pick was the trailer for Cat In the Hat....
Anyway, I actually thought it wasn't too bad. I liked the people's faces a lot, and the general scenery was gorgeous. It's a very standard Disney-by-number storyline, but with bits that rise above, such as Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas reprising their Bob and Doug MacKensie routine as a pair of goofily bickering moose brothers.
I wouldn't be all hot to watch it over and over, but I liked it better than Finding Nemo. Mike liked it too, except for the sad parts. But I'm a little worried. When asked what he liked best, his pick was the trailer for Cat In the Hat....
Iriots and more
Kind of a general catch up post here. We had a nice start to the day with an estate sale, the only game in town this dry but freezing morning, so the house was instantly wall-to-wall with the whole frustrated Lamar yard sale crowd. Still, we are professionals, so we sucked it up and coped. Picked up about 50 books (lots of area history, excellent potential!) and a few oddments, including quite a nice signed print of a peregrine, which you can see a pixilated image of HERE.
In other not nearly as exciting as it could be news, Caro hit a cow on her way home from work Wednesday. She'd seen the two escapees and slowed way down, luckily, and could have passed them without incident, but another vehicle was coming the other way, and spooked 'em. She reports the brakes on her new car Nimbus do appear to be in prime working condition. Happily neither Caro, the smacked cow, or Nimbus suffered any actual damage.
Also on Wednesday, I attended a "feeler" meeting of the active Democrats of Prowers County. I made three of us, but we hope to boost the numbers a bit, starting in the new year. Note to self: Careful, or you might get elected to something....
I meant to explain how we got the term "iriot". As you may know, my son Mike has assorted developmental delays, and his speech is one area that is affected. He comes up with some memorable terms because he thinks, hears and repeats a little differently. We call it MikeSpeak (tm).
So we were driving in Denver one time, and someone honked us strenuously while passing, for no reason I could guess. Might not even have been aimed at us. But it still made me start to mutter and gripe to myself. I concluded by wondering aloud, "What was he THINKING?"
Mike helpfully explained, "He thinks you are an iriot."
Couldn't argue with that.
In other not nearly as exciting as it could be news, Caro hit a cow on her way home from work Wednesday. She'd seen the two escapees and slowed way down, luckily, and could have passed them without incident, but another vehicle was coming the other way, and spooked 'em. She reports the brakes on her new car Nimbus do appear to be in prime working condition. Happily neither Caro, the smacked cow, or Nimbus suffered any actual damage.
Also on Wednesday, I attended a "feeler" meeting of the active Democrats of Prowers County. I made three of us, but we hope to boost the numbers a bit, starting in the new year. Note to self: Careful, or you might get elected to something....
I meant to explain how we got the term "iriot". As you may know, my son Mike has assorted developmental delays, and his speech is one area that is affected. He comes up with some memorable terms because he thinks, hears and repeats a little differently. We call it MikeSpeak (tm).
So we were driving in Denver one time, and someone honked us strenuously while passing, for no reason I could guess. Might not even have been aimed at us. But it still made me start to mutter and gripe to myself. I concluded by wondering aloud, "What was he THINKING?"
Mike helpfully explained, "He thinks you are an iriot."
Couldn't argue with that.
Remember The Jetsons?
Remember how George used to complain about his hard, hard job, where he sat and pushed the same button all day long, and that made the TV audience laugh at what a wimp he was?
I have pretty much sat here at my computer all day, paddling madly against the rising tide of email, trying to wax lyrical about pre-owned goods I want someone ELSE to own, and clicking that damn mouse incessantly to edit edit edit a ton of photos.
Although I admit, as I moved through the stack of floppies I haven't touched in years, it's neat to suddenly see faces and places that haven't crossed my mind in forever!
Probably I should go to bed, though. The work will still be here tomorrow. And the next day. Und so weiter....
I have pretty much sat here at my computer all day, paddling madly against the rising tide of email, trying to wax lyrical about pre-owned goods I want someone ELSE to own, and clicking that damn mouse incessantly to edit edit edit a ton of photos.
Although I admit, as I moved through the stack of floppies I haven't touched in years, it's neat to suddenly see faces and places that haven't crossed my mind in forever!
Probably I should go to bed, though. The work will still be here tomorrow. And the next day. Und so weiter....
Thursday, November 20, 2003
Health is good
Today I got a chance to say, "I'm ready for my close-up!" but I didn't think of it at the time, so I missed it.
It's our health center's turn to have the retinal camera for a little while, so I jumped on the chance to have someone get all up close and personal with my corneas. See, not quite two years ago when I got my current glasses, the optometrist told me I had cataracts forming. Which is odd, because it doesn't run in my family, I've never taken steroids (look at a pic of me--do I LOOK like I take steroids??) and most especially, I have never been struck by lightning. That I can recall, anyway.
I figure it has to have something to do with the auto-immune problems that come with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. But however they came, they are annoying and likely to get more so as time goes by. So I figured we might as well get a baseline pic and/or second opinion.
The procedure isn't too bad. You hunker down at one of those eyeball reading gizmos, like at the optometrist's office, and they get you in focus, and then !!WHAM!! this incredible blast of light smacks into your eye. If they would only add a steam whistle it would be a heck of an approximation of getting hit by a train in a tunnel. Except it doesn't hurt. It's just...startling. And bright.
And then they expect you to be able to hold still for the other eye.
While I was there and remembering, I made an appointment to get a mammogram next week. (Plus I got a flu shot today too.) Hopefully all this pro-active healthy stuff will pay off and keep me rattling around for a while longer.
It's our health center's turn to have the retinal camera for a little while, so I jumped on the chance to have someone get all up close and personal with my corneas. See, not quite two years ago when I got my current glasses, the optometrist told me I had cataracts forming. Which is odd, because it doesn't run in my family, I've never taken steroids (look at a pic of me--do I LOOK like I take steroids??) and most especially, I have never been struck by lightning. That I can recall, anyway.
I figure it has to have something to do with the auto-immune problems that come with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. But however they came, they are annoying and likely to get more so as time goes by. So I figured we might as well get a baseline pic and/or second opinion.
The procedure isn't too bad. You hunker down at one of those eyeball reading gizmos, like at the optometrist's office, and they get you in focus, and then !!WHAM!! this incredible blast of light smacks into your eye. If they would only add a steam whistle it would be a heck of an approximation of getting hit by a train in a tunnel. Except it doesn't hurt. It's just...startling. And bright.
And then they expect you to be able to hold still for the other eye.
While I was there and remembering, I made an appointment to get a mammogram next week. (Plus I got a flu shot today too.) Hopefully all this pro-active healthy stuff will pay off and keep me rattling around for a while longer.
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Remember that kids' rhyme?
These modern young kids today!
Something to make you go Huh.
1. Take the year that you entered High School. (It was 1967 for me.)
2. Pick an event in your past, the Kennedy assassination, for instance. (1963)
3. Calculate how long ago the event was, in this case 40 years ago.
4. Subtract that number of years from the year you entered high school. (1967-40 = 1927)
For freshmen in high school today, events of 1963 have the same temporal distance as events of 1927 had for me when I was entering high school. (Heck, my PARENTS hadn't even been born way back then!)
So if had only a vague idea that Lindbergh's crossing was an important thing that had helped create the world I now lived in, it's not surprising today's kids have the same notion.
1. Take the year that you entered High School. (It was 1967 for me.)
2. Pick an event in your past, the Kennedy assassination, for instance. (1963)
3. Calculate how long ago the event was, in this case 40 years ago.
4. Subtract that number of years from the year you entered high school. (1967-40 = 1927)
For freshmen in high school today, events of 1963 have the same temporal distance as events of 1927 had for me when I was entering high school. (Heck, my PARENTS hadn't even been born way back then!)
So if had only a vague idea that Lindbergh's crossing was an important thing that had helped create the world I now lived in, it's not surprising today's kids have the same notion.
Monday, November 17, 2003
Also, I am an Iriot (TM MikeSpeak)
I somehow cracked a glass baking pan while I was washing dishes. No clue how. But since it's always safety first with me (you know how I am) I undunked it from the dishwater and carried the gross and dripping body out to the dump trash barrel by the back door.
Which is pretty full. We don't get trash pickup here in the country, and the free dump day is on the last weekend of the month, which is when we were way far away in Denver for MileHiCon. Therefore the trash is still right here.
I tried to sort of arrange the pan so I could still get the lid to snap down, while trying to keep the pup from a. teething on the long-suffering cat and b. jumping in to see what smelled so great in the trashcan. Now, anyone but an iriot would know that balancing a wet soapy heavy glass pan on a pile of junk is a two-handed job. And also, anyone but an iriot would know that once the pan went sliding off, the chances were pretty slim it could be caught before it hit the ground and broke. And MOST ESPECIALLY anyone but an iriot would know that making a grabbing motion toward something just about to turn into upward pointing shards of glass is a classic example of combining Murphy's and Newton's First Laws, and that the body(part) heading glassward would most likely remain in motion a little bit too long and NOT be able to hit reverse in time to prevent puncturage.
I've got the bleeding stopped now. Happily, the gash is between my third and fourth fingers, which aren't too crucial to Life As We Know It. And it isn't a stitches type cut, plus we have plenty of medical type supplies (go figure) so infection should not be an issue. (Plus I'm still taking the Keflex.)
But I still feel like an iriot.
Which is pretty full. We don't get trash pickup here in the country, and the free dump day is on the last weekend of the month, which is when we were way far away in Denver for MileHiCon. Therefore the trash is still right here.
I tried to sort of arrange the pan so I could still get the lid to snap down, while trying to keep the pup from a. teething on the long-suffering cat and b. jumping in to see what smelled so great in the trashcan. Now, anyone but an iriot would know that balancing a wet soapy heavy glass pan on a pile of junk is a two-handed job. And also, anyone but an iriot would know that once the pan went sliding off, the chances were pretty slim it could be caught before it hit the ground and broke. And MOST ESPECIALLY anyone but an iriot would know that making a grabbing motion toward something just about to turn into upward pointing shards of glass is a classic example of combining Murphy's and Newton's First Laws, and that the body(part) heading glassward would most likely remain in motion a little bit too long and NOT be able to hit reverse in time to prevent puncturage.
I've got the bleeding stopped now. Happily, the gash is between my third and fourth fingers, which aren't too crucial to Life As We Know It. And it isn't a stitches type cut, plus we have plenty of medical type supplies (go figure) so infection should not be an issue. (Plus I'm still taking the Keflex.)
But I still feel like an iriot.
Dang.
As you recall, Caro's little Ford Escort Golly went belly up back in September, an annoying situation made even more so because it was totally preventable, had I been doing my proper job as Car Care Woman and paid attention to some bad warning signs.
Oh well. So we started shopping around. Sadly, our tiny town of Lamar had a very limited selection of cars that Would Do. After about three weeks of fruitless shopping, we went to a bigger dealership in La Junta, an hour's drive away.
Unfortunately, this meant we couldn't take it over to our trusty mechanic Rick the Car Doctor (TM MikeSpeak) for the pre-nup exam. But the car had a great history (one owner), low mileage, and other bennies such as being also an Escort (Caro hate things to Change on her) but a *station wagon*!. And the price was very cheap, plus they were throwing in a 12 month repairs policy. So what could be bad, right?
Mm. About $1100 worth of stuff, actually. Some of which was not actually at the break down point, but would need doing in the next 6 months, so we thought, "OK, fine." 'Cause, you know, we had that Policy.
I bet you can see what's coming. We sent in a claim, and it was denied. In preparation for getting on the phone and getting all HUFFY with them, I got out the service plan to read for detail and meaning. And huh. Turns out the plan kicks in when one of the covered parts FAILS. Do some preventive maintenance? Good for you, chica...but no rebate check.
Hence the dang.
Oh well. So we started shopping around. Sadly, our tiny town of Lamar had a very limited selection of cars that Would Do. After about three weeks of fruitless shopping, we went to a bigger dealership in La Junta, an hour's drive away.
Unfortunately, this meant we couldn't take it over to our trusty mechanic Rick the Car Doctor (TM MikeSpeak) for the pre-nup exam. But the car had a great history (one owner), low mileage, and other bennies such as being also an Escort (Caro hate things to Change on her) but a *station wagon*!. And the price was very cheap, plus they were throwing in a 12 month repairs policy. So what could be bad, right?
Mm. About $1100 worth of stuff, actually. Some of which was not actually at the break down point, but would need doing in the next 6 months, so we thought, "OK, fine." 'Cause, you know, we had that Policy.
I bet you can see what's coming. We sent in a claim, and it was denied. In preparation for getting on the phone and getting all HUFFY with them, I got out the service plan to read for detail and meaning. And huh. Turns out the plan kicks in when one of the covered parts FAILS. Do some preventive maintenance? Good for you, chica...but no rebate check.
Hence the dang.
Friday, November 14, 2003
Oh YEAH Baby!
I subscribe to a lot of comics and political cartoons. This one made my day!
Yay, People Powered Howard!
Oh, and that was drawn by Dick Wright, ©2003 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
Yay, People Powered Howard!
Oh, and that was drawn by Dick Wright, ©2003 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
Thursday, November 13, 2003
Last night for part of his homework, Mike was supposed to write a poem about a candy bar. As it happens, Mike is a Strange Childe who isn't very interested in candy most of the time. So he didn't have a favorite kind of candy bar to choose. Happily, I remembered that recently he DID beg for a candy bar, turned out not to like it, and was a bit ticked off when I made him eat it anyway. So, in the tradition of poems being about strong emotion, here is:
A Candy Bar I Do Not Like
Gross! Coconut!
Sticky and white!
Smells like sun tan lotion!
That yucky taste!
I do NOT like Almond Joy.
***
Now let's ALL do one, shall we? Here are the directions, per Mike's 5th grade curriculum:
1. Pick a topic.
2. Brainstorm "clue words" that remind you of your topic, to use in your poem.
3. Use this pattern.
Line 1 - describes what you see
Line 2 - describes how it feels
Line 3 - describes how it smells
Line 4 - describes how it tastes
Line 5 - What your topic was.
Wasn't that fun?
A Candy Bar I Do Not Like
Gross! Coconut!
Sticky and white!
Smells like sun tan lotion!
That yucky taste!
I do NOT like Almond Joy.
***
Now let's ALL do one, shall we? Here are the directions, per Mike's 5th grade curriculum:
1. Pick a topic.
2. Brainstorm "clue words" that remind you of your topic, to use in your poem.
3. Use this pattern.
Line 1 - describes what you see
Line 2 - describes how it feels
Line 3 - describes how it smells
Line 4 - describes how it tastes
Line 5 - What your topic was.
Wasn't that fun?
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Quizzy Tuesday
Here are two especially nifty quizzes I found on LiveJournal.
From my friend yahtzee63:
Robert Heinlein wrote you - you stranger in a
strange land, you.
Which Author's Fiction are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
This explains so much about my life....
And from another friend trishalynn:
Roland Deschain. Hail, Gunslinger. Are we well
met? (From The Dark Tower.)
"What Stephen King Character Are You?" (Now Open)
brought to you by Quizilla
This both amused and pleased me. In a strange but true co-incidence, UPS brought me a package from Amazon today, with what else but Wolves of the Calla, the LONG-awaited fifth book in this series.
From my friend yahtzee63:
Robert Heinlein wrote you - you stranger in a
strange land, you.
Which Author's Fiction are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
This explains so much about my life....
And from another friend trishalynn:
Roland Deschain. Hail, Gunslinger. Are we well
met? (From The Dark Tower.)
"What Stephen King Character Are You?" (Now Open)
brought to you by Quizilla
This both amused and pleased me. In a strange but true co-incidence, UPS brought me a package from Amazon today, with what else but Wolves of the Calla, the LONG-awaited fifth book in this series.
Monday, November 10, 2003
Feasting on soup
As you know, Caro and I have been following the South Beach diet for a couple of months, with (literally) heartening results--it's very healthy eating. Lean meats, lots of fish, olive oil dressings, like that. But of course, the lean meats are the pricey kinds. So we avidly watch the store specials, and go pounce on the best deals every week, filling the freezer with our prizes. (And slowly getting rid of 2 year old freezer-burned generic popsicles and other sad detritus.)
This week Safeway had whole turkey breasts at 88 cents a pound. It was too cold out on Saturday to use our smoker, so I covered it with almost the last few tablespoons...well, okay, half a cup...from the jar of minced garlic, sloshed some soy sauce over it, and put it in the crock pot. And remembered to actually plug it in an hour later...but I digress.
So. Turkey and brussels sprouts for dinner. I saved the drippings and the extra half dozen little cabbage heads until today. Chopped up an onion and added it to the bowl, and nuked it for about 10 minutes. It was a small bowl, really, so I got a bigger one out too and put the last bits of the garlic and also the last of the soy sauce while I was at it in with a can of chicken broth. Mixed both together, renuked. Whoops, way too strong. So I added another can of broth and cut some chunks off the rapidly diminishing breast, and now I am going to go slurp down quite a lot of it!
Sunday, November 09, 2003
As the Weekend Wanes
I am happy to say I am much improved. The magic two-tone green pills seem to be doing the trick. So I actually got a bit done, here and there, over the weekend!
As you probably know, last night there was a nice lunar eclipse. I took a few mediocre photos, and combined them into one, which is on Mike's blog, with his cogent, compact commentary. The MOOOOOON(s)!
We had a little bad luck with the pumpkins this year. Climber got her paws (and teeth) on them. Although you could argue that it improved them, horrorificly speaking.
They still looked pretty good lit. Mostly lit.
In other belated holiday news, I finally got Caro's birthday present put on her car:
Generally speaking, things are going along pretty decently!
As you probably know, last night there was a nice lunar eclipse. I took a few mediocre photos, and combined them into one, which is on Mike's blog, with his cogent, compact commentary. The MOOOOOON(s)!
We had a little bad luck with the pumpkins this year. Climber got her paws (and teeth) on them. Although you could argue that it improved them, horrorificly speaking.
They still looked pretty good lit. Mostly lit.
In other belated holiday news, I finally got Caro's birthday present put on her car:
Generally speaking, things are going along pretty decently!
Friday, November 07, 2003
Another couple seconds of my 15 minutes gone
OK, first I have to fill in the background a bit.
This was an actual obituary published in The Times-Picayune, New Orleans,
10/2/2003. I read it on a booksellers mailing list. It's the last line that's the kicker.
"Word has been received that Gertrude M. Jones, 81, passed away on August
25, 2003, under the loving care of the nursing aides of Heritage Manor of
Mandeville, Louisiana. She was a native of Lebanon, KY. She was a retired
Vice President of Georgia International Life Insurance Company of
Atlanta, GA. Her husband, Warren K. Jones predeceased her. Two daughters
survive her: Dawn Hunt and her live-in boyfriend, Roland, of
Mandeville,LA; and Melba Kovalak and her husband, Drew Kovalak, of
Woodbury, MN. Three sisters, four grandchildren and three great
grandchildren, also survive her. Funeral services were held in
Louisville, KY. Memorial gifts may be made to any organization that seeks
the removal of President George Bush from office."
I checked it out on Snopes.com, and it's for real! There is even a link to her online memory book:
http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?ID=GB01445197
Of course I couldn't resist adding to the memory book. (I'm there on November 2) Just kind of a posthumous gesture of respect, you know. So imagine my surprise when I got a phone call this morning from a reporter from a New Orleans paper who is doing a follow-up story on Gertrude and her last request bequest!
I did a Google News search just now, and yep, there I am sound-biting my way through newsrooms all across the net! Amazing.
Sure, I remember the 80s...kinda
I must admit I accepted the bonus points for being old, which boosted my overall score quite a bit.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
Mumpdate
OK, it's not actually the mumps. Most likely. Since I am PRETTY sure I had them already. What I seem to have is a kind of unusual inflammation of the parotids, part of the salivary gland system. Apparently I have not been salivating enough lately. So I've got some good ol' generic Keflex and a bag of sugar-free hard candies, hopefully soon enough to keep me from developing an abscess in one of the grosser places one can get one....
The dog ate my email....
I've been thinking I should at least use this handy, widely accessible space FOR something. Like for instance, a place where I could let people know my most current reason for being so behind in my email.
OK? OK.
As you may know, I have been sick with a cold-ish sort of thing since coming home from Mile High Con last weekend. I was on the mend, but some other bug (what we call in the biz an 'opportunistic infection') snuck in on me. I woke up this morning looking like George Washington, with face swelling that looks like I've had ping pong balls implanted at my jaw hinge. Or maybe I more closely resemble the pyramid on the other side of the dollar bill, because of my big, puffy, inflamed eyes. Either way, I am not exactly at the peak of my general attractiveness. More like below sea level of same. Since I am so nice, I'm NOT going to take a picture.
If you WANT to see a scary picture of me, click here for a good one from Mike's blog.
Yes, I AM going to the doctor this morning.
OK? OK.
As you may know, I have been sick with a cold-ish sort of thing since coming home from Mile High Con last weekend. I was on the mend, but some other bug (what we call in the biz an 'opportunistic infection') snuck in on me. I woke up this morning looking like George Washington, with face swelling that looks like I've had ping pong balls implanted at my jaw hinge. Or maybe I more closely resemble the pyramid on the other side of the dollar bill, because of my big, puffy, inflamed eyes. Either way, I am not exactly at the peak of my general attractiveness. More like below sea level of same. Since I am so nice, I'm NOT going to take a picture.
If you WANT to see a scary picture of me, click here for a good one from Mike's blog.
Yes, I AM going to the doctor this morning.
